Should Call Centers Always Be Outsourced?

One line of work that has been a popular object of outsourcing is contact center or call center operation. It is a fact that call center outsourcing has been a lucrative business for several business process outsourcing firms both in India and the Philippines. This is testament to the practicality of it all.Now, some companies are still on the fence as far as call center outsourcing is concerned. Deciding whether or not to outsource call center operations should be a no-brainer, particularly for start-up companies aiming to make a mark in their respective industries. Call center outsourcing could be a strategic tool for making your contact center business more productive and profitable. So what really are the advantages of call center outsourcing? Here are a few.1. High-quality call center services at a relatively low price.Call center outsourcing offers you access to high-quality services at relatively low prices. The cost advantage is actually the main reason why companies outsource in the first place. The Philippines and India have so many call center companies and the call center agents in these countries are not only proficient in English, they are well-trained by their BPO firms to handle all call center requirements. The  best thing about it is that you pay these employees a fraction of what you would normally pay an in-house worker in the US or Europe. And, mind you, their competence and service-orientation are first-rate, too.2. Access to highly proficient English speakers.I have previously mentioned that India and the Philipines have an abundant supply of excellent English speakers that are perfect for call center outsourcing. The Philippines, in fact, is preferred in this sense because Filipinos' brand of English is more neutral and American-influenced as compared to the highly accented Indian English which is also highly British-influenced. Then agian, it's just a matter of how similar your corporate cultures are with BPO firms from these countries. European clients often prefer the British English of Indians while American companies naturally prefer the more American English of Filipinos.3. Call center outsourcing allows your company to focus on core competencies.One other huge benefit of call center outsourcing is the fact that you get this task out of the way and into somebody else's hands, freeing your company from peripheral concerns and allowing your management people to focus on managing your company's core business. By outsourcing all your non-core functions, like customer service and technical support, your own in-house employees and management staff can be put to better use.These are just some of the many benefits of call center outsourcing. Outsourcing call center functions enables you to invest your time and resources into more critical and more profitable activities. So if you ask me again if call centers should always be outsourced, I would say: always.